Mon May 1 Tue May 2 Sun May 7 Sun May 14 Fri May 26 Tue May 30 Wed May 31 Yom HaZikaron Yom HaAtzmaut Dad & Me Crafts Madame Butterfly Lag B’Omer Rosh Chodesh Sivan Erev Shavuot Shavuot (see calendar) Upcoming Events This Edition 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 11 12 13 14 15 18 Kol Rinah Leadership A Message from Rabbi Arnow Mazel Tov President’s Message United with Israel KR Religious School DorWays Youth ECC Women’s Social Group Membership Men’s Club Adult Education Everyone Has A Story Calendar Our Future Is Strong. Kol Rinah is embarking on a major change—a change of buildings... Some of us are feeling energized... Some of us are feeling sad... As a congregation, we need to attend to both of these sets of feelings. Rabbi Arnow’s article, continued on page 3 Thank You to Phil & Sima Needleman for their generous sponsorship of the Voice. Purim 2017 The Voice Building Inclusive Community 1 www.KolRinahSTL.org Building Inclusive Community 829 North Hanley Rd. • St. Louis, MO • 63130 • (314) 727.1747 • KolRinahSTL.org May / June 2017 • Iyar / Sivan / Tammuz 5777
Transcript
Mon May 1Tue May 2Sun May 7
Sun May 14Fri May 26Tue May 30Wed May 31
Yom HaZikaronYom HaAtzmautDad & Me CraftsMadame ButterflyLag B’OmerRosh Chodesh SivanErev ShavuotShavuot (see calendar)
Upcoming Events
This Edition23456789111213
141518
Kol Rinah Leadership A Message from Rabbi ArnowMazel TovPresident’s MessageUnited with IsraelKR Religious SchoolDorWaysYouthECCWomen’s Social GroupMembershipMen’s ClubAdult EducationEveryone Has A StoryCalendar
Our Future Is Strong.Kol Rinah is embarking on a major change—a change of buildings... Some of us are feeling energized... Some of us are feeling sad... As a congregation, we need to attend to both of these sets of feelings.
Rabbi Arnow’s article, continued on page 3
Thank You to
Phil & Sima Needleman for their generous sponsorship
of the Voice.
Purim 2017
The Voice
Building Inclusive Community 1 www.KolRinahSTL.org
Building Inclusive Community829 North Hanley Rd. • St. Louis, MO • 63130 • (314) 727.1747 • KolRinahSTL.org May / June 2017 • Iyar / Sivan / Tammuz 5777
Kol Rinah Leadership
Kol Rinah BoardRandi Mozenter PresidentSherri Sadon Chairman of the BoardSue Albert VP CommunicationsJeremy Buhler VP EducationDavid Cooperstein VP FacilitiesElisa Israel VP PersonnelBarbara Shamir VP MembershipStephen Selipsky VP Development / FinanceEsti Goldman SecretaryMichael Levine Treasurer
Serving Through 2017
Jaron Asher, Marcia Sokol Anderson, Richard Gavatin, Scott Kaar, Bill Solomon, Debbie Zimmerman, Patricia Cohen
Serving Through 2018Benita Boxerman, Todd Cohen, Michael Goldstein, Howard Granok, Maurice Guller, Stacey Hudson, Lvav Spector, Daniel Rosenthal
Serving Through 2019Denise Field, Debbie Igielnik, Allan Leving, Linda Makler, Beth Rubin, Debbie Rubin, Andrew Sabin, Ken Weintraub
StaffDavid Weber Executive DirectorNancy Greene Executive AssistantMeir Zimand Director of Operations & FinanceJessica Wax Development Coordinator /
DorWaysRico Crane Facilities / Maintenance
Ritual Noah Arnow RabbiMarvin Lerner, Jonathan Belsky Ba’alei KriahMark Fasman, Benson Skoff zt”l,Mordecai Miller Rabbis Emeriti
EducationScott Shafrin Religious School Director / Assistant RabbiElyse Picker, Liz Collins Early Childhood Center Co-DirectorsPatty Kaplan B'nai Mitzvah TutorSara Steiner Youth Director
Auxiliary GroupsMax Brown Men’s Club PresidentMicki Kingsley Sisterhood President Marilyn Dien Women's Social Group
Committee Chairs Richard Gavatin, Ralph Graff Adult EdBarbara Bianco ChesedGary Kodner CommunicationsRichard Gavatin, Michael Greenfield Constitution & BylawsSteve Rosenblum DevelopmentJeremy Buhler ECC CouncilSue Albert, Dan Rosenthal FacilitiesSteve Keyser FinanceMarsha Birenbaum Halls & CateringEsti Goldman, Bob Olshan IsraelJoyce Olshan, Debbie Rubin MembershipDenise Field PersonnelMike Levine Strategic Planning Cindy Kalachek KRRSMitch Halpern Ritual
Kol Rinah welcomes everyone. This means YOU! Kol Rinah is a dynamic
and forward-looking congregation
where all generations come together
to experience Judaism in innovative
ways. Our mission is to
create a welcoming community that
embraces Torah and meaningful
worship, lifelong learning, music,
Israel and Tikkun Olam, guided by
the tenets of Conservative Judaism.
We embrace a diversity of
Jews and Jewish families, including
Jews by choice and Jews by birth,
Jews of all hues, Jewish singles,
couples, and families, interfaith
households, LGBTQ Jews, Jews
of all abilities and disabilities, the
Jew-curious, and more! If there is
anything we can do to make you
more welcome or to accommodate
your needs, please let us know.
Joke for the Month
A new fl ood is foretold. In fi ve days the ice caps will melt and the world will be covered in water.
The Dalai Lama addresses the world’s Buddhist population and says, “Meditate and prepare yourselves for reincarnation.”
from: “101 Classic Jewish Jokes”
Our newsletter is designed by Tovah Enger with the invaluable help of her dedicated volunteer proofi ng team: Nancy Greene, Micki Kingsley, Cindy Payant & Sherri Sadon. Thank you.
The Pope holds audience and tell Catholics, “Confess your sins and pray for the rapture.”
The Chief Rabbi of Israel goes on TV and says, “We have fi ve days to learn how to live under water.”
www.KolRinahSTL.org The VOICE 2
be able to afford to do all that we need, and want.
Some of us are feeling both of these sets of feelings, because these two sets of feelings are not mutually exclusive. I feel both of these sets of emotions, myself. We can and so often do hold in ourselves at the same time different, and even confl icting, emotions. As a congregation, we need to attend to both of these sets of feelings, and we will.
around it, to capitalize on the moment and harness the momentum to attract new members and reengage long-time members.
We will also mark the moments of transition, of leaving the sanctuary, and of leaving this building. The history here deserves our respect, and all of us who have history here need to have the space to grieve this ending.
Here is what I ask of you: over the coming weeks, and months, and years, please tell me how you are feeling. I want to know how you, personally, are feeling about the changes and transition at Kol Rinah. Please share your feelings with me, Randi Mozenter, Sherri Sadon, and others. Please, if you are feeling frustrated or worried or upset, come to us.
Also, I ask you to be kind and patient with each other, and especially with those whose feelings you don’t understand, and those who don’t understand your feelings. Do try to be attentive, curious and sensitive to how others are managing through this time.
The transitional time while we are living in a building no longer our own, before we move into our new building, will be challenging, as we fi gure out new systems, as we are forced to innovate and do things differently than
Kol Rinah is embarking on a major change—a change of buildings. By the time you read this, we will have already closed on the purchase of our new home at 7701 Maryland Avenue, and the sale of our current home, the former Shaare Zedek building at 829 North Hanley Road.
Some of us are feeling energized, hopeful and joyful about our move. This makes sense to me. We have a tremendously exciting project ahead of us, with lots of work ahead of us too, but also so many opportunities to engage our membership, and the wider community. There is real excitement from the St. Louis Jewish community about our move, and I hear it almost every day. We will be in a fresh home for us, in a new neighborhood for us, with a chance to reinvent the ways we operate and do things. We are poised to have a bright future, and I am honored, humbled, and energized to be your rabbi during this exciting time.
Some of us are feeling sad and anxious about our move. This makes sense to me too. We are leaving a sacred space and building that have been a good Jewish home for some of us for sixty years. There is a real sense of loss associated with a congregation leaving its longtime building. Many of us experienced, and still feel, that sense of loss at the various stages of leaving and sale of the BSKI building. And we feel nervous, wondering how a new location and space will force us to change in different ways, and if we will
Our future is strong; I know we all want what is best for Kol Rinah.
I have always said that I would rather have congregants who care deeply—even if they disagree with each other—than congregants who don’t care. These past months and years of being your rabbi have convinced me this is a community of people who care. Our future is strong; I know we all want what is best for Kol Rinah.
Here is a bit of what you can expect over the next few months:
We will share exciting news as we have it about schedules and designs and plans in weekly Facilities updates.
We’ll ask for your help in making this move a success, and we’ll thank and acknowledge those who help to make it possible.
We’ll try to publicize our move, to generate excitement and energy
Beginnings and Endings
Continued on page 5
A Message from Rabbi ArnowRabbi Noah Arnow - Senior Rabbi [email protected]
May / June 2017 • Iyar / Sivan / Tammuz 5777www.facebook.com/KolRinahSTL 3
May BirthdaysEsti Goldman, Asher Sabin, Samuel
Sabin, Lauren Wolf, Amy Zaidman, Rabbi
Noah Arnow, Rhona Lyons, Berta Hyken,
Rena Buhler, Judy Allen, Katlyne Cooke,
Brian Rosman, David Weber, Gail Brody
Kodner, Abigail Simmons, Idan Lerner,
Gloria Feldman, Alison Gold, Jenna Gold,
Franklin Haspiel, Phyllis Warner, Tobi Don,
Jonah May Rauchman, Stella Picker, Lori
Siegel, Alan Snyder, Rosalie Stein, Michael
Waxenberg, Samuel Bernstein, Russell
Gottlieb, Lauren Schuver, Denise Bobick,
Jada Fox, Donald Levy, Naomi Zaidman,
Elisa Israel, Scott Berman, Shirley Fredman,
Cindy Ginsburg, Marc Levin, Marilyn Young,
Michael Bernstein, Frances Wilner, Delia
Rainey, Hannah Rainey, Patricia Cohen,
Zachary Cohen, Phillip Gould, Lillian
Nova, Deborah Rubin, Michael Stein,
Julie Waxenberg, Emily Ginsburg, Samuel
Shoykhet, Josh Horwitz, Jim Fehr, Jonah
Levy, Daniel Yavitz, Rolf Cooke
May AnniversariesKim Anderson & Marcia Sokol Anderson
Harvey & Aileen Melnick
Guy Friedman & Laura Horwitz
Gary Yavitz & Louise Kaufman Yavitz
Michael & Abby Goldstein
Jeff & Joanna Carra
Alan & Robin Weinberger
Brad & Mindy Horwitz
David & Sue Propper
Russell & Rachel Gottlieb
Michael & Julie Waxenberg
Rick Kodner & Gail Brody Kodner
Hal & Marcia Goldsmith
Josh & Cindy Kalachek
Steven & Andrea Rosenblum
June BirthdaysHelene Meyer, Sara Myers, Aaron Praiss,
Jerry Raskin, Jacob Goldstein, Nathan
Goldstein, Ari Horwitz, Susan Cort, Hanan
Nathan Slarskey, Cheryl Wasserberg, Julie
Ettinger, Sophia Gottlieb, Tasha Kaminsky,
Mina Lewkowitz, Courtney Rader, Valerie
Tripi, Matt Reznick, Leise Rosman, Phyllis
Katz, William Mathis, Florence Cohn,
Randi Mozenter, Amitai Shafrin, Golda
Burke, Jacob Shanas, Roberta Stolz,
Allen Levin, Nancy Berg, Laura Horwitz,
Jeffrey Jacob, Merwyn Kalina, Elana
Gottlieb, Sherri Sadon, Joan Katz, Nick
Riggio, Gabriel Shoykhet, Anita Waldman,
Mindy Horwitz, Enid Perll, Aileen Shmuger,
Rosetta Weintraub, Phyllis Hanson, Adam
Lewkowitz, Michael Raffelson, Wesley
Raffelson, Stan Braude, Ari Brenner, Harriet
Shanas, Monroe Ginsburg, Niki Nymark,
Cecilia Asher, Renee Rosen, Marvin
Beckerman, Lily Friedman, Katherine
Gross, William Kaufman, Craig Spiegel,
Kenneth Weintraub, Brett Jacob, Stacey
Hudson, Jacob Kalachek, Phil Levens,
Robert Stein, Marc Spector, Kenneth Stein,
Muriel Beckerman, Jordan Cherrick, Susan
Lew, Judel Lew, Fred Makler, Eric Schneider
June AnniversariesBrian Yaffee & Stephanie Graff
Ronald & Marsha Portman
Michael Cannon & Denise Field
Mark & Karen Engel
Ben & Joan Barzilai
Marvin Foster & Niki Nymark
Josh & Laura Chaise
Stanley & Aileen Shmuger
Stuart Hoffman & Rita Rothschild
Steven Brody & Brenda Grossman
Richard & Jody Feldman
Michael & Alisa Reichman
Michael & Karen Wetmore
Eric Flug & Gretchen Schisla
Alan Snyder & Sharon Rosenberg
Andrew Gold & Lauren Schuver
Repps & Stacey Hudson
Alfred & Sheila Rosenfeld
Edward Finkelstein & Rose Jonas
Mazel Tov!
Condolences to the Families Of
Elliot Abel
Richard Allan Dulkin
Herbert Eissman
Stanley Gellman
Eugene Horwitz
Ruth Jacob
Evelyn Kamenetzky
Sheldon Kessler
Patricia Levine
Stanley Levy
Jack Rosen
New BabyMazel Tov to Rabbis Scott and Jessica
Shafrin and big brother, Amitai, on the birth
of a baby boy, on March 17 2017.
Fred & Estelle Handler
Leo Shmuylovich & Ilana Rosman
Zachary & Julie Leeds
Howard & Jacqueline Berliner
Jeremy Buhler & Wendy Anderson
Martin & Margaret Israel
William & Helene Mathis
Brian & Leise Rosman
Marvin & Muriel Beckerman
William & Meris Hamilton
Rick & Becky Lerner
Eric Schneider & Debbie Chase
Jerry & Joyce Raskin
Tim & Arlene O’Connell
Bernard & Marilyn Kunitz
Sandy & Elaine Melnick
Sanford & Cynthia Boxerman
Stephen Selipsky & Phyllis Hanson
Marc & Penny Alper
Burton & Benita Boxerman
Jordan & Lorraine Cherrick
Gene & Shirley Barken
Judel & Susan Lew
www.KolRinahSTL.org The VOICE 4
President’s MessageRandi Mozenter - Kol Rinah President [email protected]
We bought a new home last June. We still haven’t moved in as it needed some work. It’s almost ready so I’ll be moving 1.6 miles down the road, so to speak.
I loved my former home. I’d been there for decades. I raised my children there. I have memories and sentimentalities and emotions that reside within those four walls.
I have a relatively new merged marriage and family. We stayed in what was my home for the past few years together. We thought about staying in my husband Larry’s beautiful home. He had also been there for decades and raised his children there. It was a great space with wonderful attributes. I’m not sure I even remember how we decided to move to my home.
We thought a lot about how to make my home our home. We looked at a signifi cant rehab and even adding a big addition. We tried hard. It wasn’t working.
I was not prepared to leave my home. I love my home; it’s beautiful, it’s historic, it’s mine. But it’s not us. It’s not ours. Despite being here together for a few years, the memories that exist here are not joint memories because it’s too new to both of us and we will never override the decades of history that was just mine.
So we bought a new home. I really didn’t want to go see it. It’s not in my neighborhood. It’s not even in my municipality. And I was sure that I wouldn’t like it and that there would be
nothing about it that would convince me that leaving my home was anything that I could even think about.
But it was lovely too. I didn’t really think it would be. As I walked through it and looked at it and thought about it and felt about it, I realized it could be a fresh start for the two of us together. It was sad and it was happy. It was exciting and it was terrifying. Change is diffi cult. I am one of those people that really does not like change. Change is not something I ever willingly feel comfortable approaching.
I really wanted the new house though. It wasn’t home yet and it probably would be a while before it felt like home. I’m still trying to imagine what it will look like and feel like. I am excited, however. And I really wanted to do this. Finally. I could imagine continuing a still new relationship in a new territory. A home that could be ours. Together.
I pray for Shalom Bayit; for us all.
we are used to doing them. This can be disruptive, disconcerting, and dislocating. It can also be generative, creative, and exciting. The truth is, this “neutral zone” time will probably be all of those things.
Before we know it, we will be moving into our new, shared home, strengthened by the process of sharing wistful endings and promising new beginnings together. I can’t wait!
A Message From Rabbi ArnowContinued from page 3
Chesed Visits!Contact Barbara Bianco 314.727.2399 or [email protected]
Learn Haftarah, Trope or PrayerContact Howard Belsky 314.546.0810 or [email protected]
May / June 2017 • Iyar / Sivan / Tammuz 5777www.facebook.com/KolRinahSTL 5
United with IsraelEsti Goldman, Bob Olshan - Co-Chairs
The Kol Rinah Israel Committee recently made a donation from the proceeds of the 2016 Yom Ha’atzmaut Beit Café to Special in Uniform, a JNF partner.
Eli and Sherri Sadon’s niece Lotan, who has cerebral palsy, realized her dream of joining the IDF through the Special in Uniform program.
After IDF offi cials visited and lectured about the army, Lotan decided her dream was to serve in the IDF too. Parents, teachers and friends gently attempted to dissuade her so she wouldn’t get hurt. Her parents even accompanied her to army registration where they received the doctor’s verdict that she was exempt from army service, but Lotan wasn’t deterred. “I want to serve in army. I want to wear a uniform!”
Her dogged persistence led her to meet the directors of Special in Uniform who showed Lotan that she wasn’t alone.
Special in Uniform presently incorporates 200 youth into the military, helping them integrate into society and the employment sector. The initiative greatly contributes to the IDF as a whole and each individual soldier by fostering acceptance of diversity of people, thus creating a positive impact for a better society.
The program begins with a process of evaluation and assessment by a professional team, followed by a three-month course of life skills and occupational skills training. Military service commences with a 10-days basic training program, including group formation by professionals. Afterwards the soldiers are integrated in a variety of functions including preparing protective kits, manning emergency depots, military store, printing shop, kitchen, shredding mill and more.
Special in Uniform gave Lotan the opportunity to fulfi ll her dream; to live her life with her group of friends and to serve her country.
Thank You
Thank you to all my family and Kol Rinah
friends for all the cards and best wishes
for my birthday. I really appreciate your
thoughtfulness.
Ann FrankThank you to the many people who sent me
happy birthday wishes with a donation to
the Women’s Social Group. Thank you for
thinking of me.
Micki KingsleyThanks to all my friends for all my special
birthday and speedy recovery wishes.
Rhoda Grimsky
KR FundraisingThere are many ways to support our Kol Rinah Community...
Contribute to a Synagogue Kiddush - Our Kiddush fund provides the opportunity to have a delicious Kiddush on Shabbatot where no one is sponsoring Kiddush.David Weber: 314.727.1747 or [email protected]
Sponsor a Sisterhood KiddushSue Propper: 314.395.1349 or [email protected]
Join Sisterhood, Women’s Social Group or Men’s Club
Support our Youth
Donate a Car
Use Schnuck’s ScripContact the offi ce to learn how.
Shop in our Gift Shop
Make a Tribute to a FundGo to kolrinahstl.org
www.KolRinahSTL.org The VOICE 6
Kol Rinah Religious SchoolRabbi Scott Shafrin - Religious School Director [email protected]
For educators, the holiday of Shavuot is always a bit of a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it is known as Z’man Matan Torateinu, “The Time of the Giving of Our Torah.” Since the Torah is the central educational text for all of Jewish life, this holiday offers an incredible opportunity for any teacher to be able to connect with students and families around the meaning of learning in our lives. Unfortunately, Shavuot falls on the 6th of Sivan, which often coincides with late May or early June when school has already wrapped up for the year. How do you properly learn about and celebrate a holiday with a group who will not necessarily be together to enjoy it?
At its heart, Shavuot is a celebration of the learning we do together. I have always been inspired by the how vast an array of sources and commentaries, written by rabbis from around the world for thousands of years, we are able to draw upon from within the Jewish Tradition. Many of us have learned about Rashi, the incredible 11th Century French sage, or Maimonides, the Medieval Spanish master of logic and reason. Countless works, however, have been penned by lesser-known rabbis throughout the ages, and contain just as much spiritual power and practical insight.
One of these texts is known as the Akeidat Yitzhak, a commentary on Torah written by Rabbi Isaac ben Moshe Arama. He lived in Spain from 1420–1494, surviving the Spanish Inquisition by fl eeing to Italy, though
he died only two years later. When he looked to the texts that describe the holiday of Shavuot, he had a brilliant insight:
It is noteworthy that the mussaph offering on Shavuot, was not accompanied by a sin offering, something that does not occur on any other occasion. This is symbolic of the fact that the spiritual growth that had taken place since Passover was such that there was no need to add a sin offering. [The holiday of Shavuot itself] is a reminder and a celebration of that spiritual growth. (Akeidat Yitzhak, 67:59)
In essence, Rabbi Arama is looking deep into the eternal meaning of the holiday of Shavuot. It does not merely commemorate the Torah being bestowed on us in the past, but rather honors what we are learning now, for what is learning if not continuous growth and change? Engaging in celebrating Shavuot, therefore, is the perfect way to seal a year full of learning, questioning, exploring, and discovery. Even more than that, the holiday is Z’man TorateiNU, the day we celebrate OUR Torah, the work and study and development that we all do together as a community. I feel that there is no greater symbol for our Kol Rinah learning community this year than a Torah that we all share and in which each of us has an equal stake.
As the period of the Omer draws near to a close, marking the seven-week march from Pesach to Shavuot, we
are called to come together in learning, not as a singular event, but as a communal celebration of the changes we have been going through day after day, week after week, throughout the year. It is an opportunity, just after the halfway point in our Hebrew calendar, to refl ect on who we are, who we have been, and who we want to be as individuals and as a community.
For me, this year so far has been an education like no other. I have gotten to know 45 wonderful young students, with curious minds and unique souls. I have watched their families grow and change, seen incredible people from everywhere in our community through the highs and lows of life, and worked with an amazing group of teachers, staff, parents and community members to make our Religious School the most incredible place to learn. I am so grateful for all of these moments, and for the many more yet to come.
I look forward to all of the growth and change ahead of us, and wish you an early Chag Sameach!
Jewish Food PantryMay List
1. Canned Beef Stew/Chili/Pasta w/ Meat2. Healthy Soups3. Dry Pasta & Canned Tomato Products4. Kosher Food5. Any Kind of Canned Fruit6. Shampoo, Toilet Paper & Deodorant
Thank you. For more info, contact Louise
Levine 636.227.1259.
May / June 2017 • Iyar / Sivan / Tammuz 5777www.facebook.com/KolRinahSTL 7
DorWays: Families & Young Members Jessica Wax - DorWays & Development Coordinator [email protected]
I hope everyone had a nice Passover and that you are enjoying the beautiful spring weather. Join Kol Rinah families for a fun, laid back Shavuot picnic! We will meet at Mooney (Jackson) Park on Thursday, June 1 at 5:00pm. Please bring dinner for your family and a dessert to share.
DorWays families had a fun time preparing for Passover. We decorated matzah covers and Elijah’s cups and ate a fun Passover snack. We made “hurry, hurry cupcakes” based off of the book, Max Makes a Cake by Michelle Edwards.
It has been wonderful to see so many families participating in our young children’s services. Please join us on May 13 for Tot Shabbat and May 27
for Rhythm n’ Ruach. These are the last children’s services of this school year. We will also conclude our current Jewish Parenting discussion on May 27. Thank you to Rabbi Jessica Shafrin (and Laura Weinstock for fi lling in) for leading this class and everyone who participated. Watch for next year’s children service schedule coming out soon. These are a wonderful way to infuse Jewish music and prayer into your child’s life in a relaxed child friendly atmosphere.
Kol Rinah families will be volunteering on Sunday, June 25 at Covenant Place for their monthly Covenant Café. We will prep and serve lunch and bring entertainment and a smile to the residents. Please contact me
if you are interested in this fun, family volunteer opportunity.
I hope everyone enjoyed all the Purim photos! Thank you to everyone who helped bake hamentashen, assemble and deliver mishloach manot, and celebrated Purim at Kol Rinah!
Mark your calendar for our BBQ Bash on Sunday, August 27 from 4-7pm. This will be a great event for our whole community!
Keep an eye out for information about summer programming. Email [email protected] for more information or to be added to our mailing list.
B’Shalom
DorWays Passover
www.KolRinahSTL.org The VOICE 8
Back in mid-February, our community endured the horrifying desecration of more than 100 gravestones at Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery, right here in University City. News broke of this early that week and by the time my USY and Kadima children arrived for our regular Tuesday night lounge night, I was not sure what to expect. They arrived, chatty and boisterous as usual, but almost immediately sat down and said “we want to talk about it.” Somewhere inside my Social Worker/Youth Director/Proud Jewish Woman heart, I panicked. What would I say? How could I calm the fears of these children when I myself was heartbroken?
That Tuesday, February 21, these children stayed for two hours (30 minutes longer than usual) and talked about it. They asked thoughtful, intelligent questions. They took turns expressing themselves and were respectful of each other even though they did not always agree. They shared their fears; “It is just down the street; would they come here too?”
As I listened to these children react to the events that had occurred, I had two internal reactions. My fi rst was anger that they had to be afraid; that what felt like a safe space for them suddenly might not be. I was angry that instead of their normal incessant laughter and smiles, they were fi lled with hurt, confusion and anger of their own. Most of all, I was angry that I had no answers to their questions.
However, my second reaction was pride. I sat and listened to these
children talk about what is happening in our world with knowledge and recognition that there is so much work to do. I watched them try to help each other understand something that I myself am unable to understand. I watched as they provided each other with support, and when Rabbi Shafrin stepped in to visit the children that night, I watched them turn to him and say, “we want to help.”
I know that my job is to provide guidance and leadership to these children, but in all honesty, that night I learned from them. I went home and thought about the things they said and decided that I too needed to step up and fi nd a way to help. Thank you, to my remarkable USY/Kadima children, for showing me the kind of adult I want to be.
“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” -Anne Frank
May / June 2017 • Iyar / Sivan / Tammuz 5777www.facebook.com/KolRinahSTL 9
Thank you to our Hamantashen bakers and packers (bakers on back page)
SAVE THE DATEJune 25 • 12:30pm
Gary Kodner Book Signing
$18 • Event includes dairy lunchRSVP online or call the offi ce Sponsored by Men’s Club
www.KolRinahSTL.org The VOICE 10
KRECC is busy with preparations for teacher appreciation week, Starfi sh class graduation, summer camp, and re-enrollment for the upcoming school year.
Teacher appreciation week is celebrated the fi rst week in May. To show thanks to the teachers for all that they do day in and day out for KRECC children and families, teachers are treated to a delicious breakfast sponsored by the PPO and showered with gifts throughout the week.
Starfi sh class graduation and brunch takes place on Thursday, May 18. Our graduating class will sing songs they learned in music this year and also share a special performance that they have been working on in their creative movement class. We also will have a moving up ceremony for our Penguin class, as they get ready for their PreK year.
Summer will be here before we know it and we are excited for our summer camp theme, Animal Planet. Ms. Christine and Ms. Megan are returning this year as our summer camp co-coordinators. Throughout the summer, our children will be learning about animals and their habitat around the world, including the rainforest, polar animals, and farm animals. Children will have dress up days to accompany the weekly animal theme, special snacks, and each class will have a chance to decorate a section of the hall to go with each habitat.
Our classes for fall are quickly fi lling up! If you are in the process of looking for child care or know of someone looking for an early childcare center for
their infant to pre-kindergarten aged child let them know that we would be happy to show them our center.
ECC Shabbat
May / June 2017 • Iyar / Sivan / Tammuz 5777www.facebook.com/KolRinahSTL 11
Women’s Social GroupMarilyn Dien - WSG President
The KR Women’s Social Group has been “on the go” recently. We began with a visit to the St. Louis Art Museum to see the Degas, Impressionism, and the Paris Millinery Trade Exhibit in preparation for our High Tea. This exhibit runs through May 7th and is a wonderful experience! In attendance were Lorraine Rosenberg, Marian Katz, Linda Makler, Gail Appleson, Joyce Eisenberg, and Betty Seigel.
Our High Tea was held on March 26th and was a great success! Many who attended had their picture taken in a replica of a 1904 touring hat at the “photo booth.” Fred Makler volunteered as our photographer for the afternoon. After Marilyn welcomed and thanked all for coming, Linda Makler introduced a Getting to Know You activity. Everyone joined her in singing “Getting to Know You” from The King and I, and then
doing the activity which, of course, included the question, “What high school did you attend?” Refreshments included a sweet table fi lled with delicious cookies and pastries and a special trifl e with fruit prepared by Marian Katz and Joyce Eisenberg. Tea was poured and served by Lorraine Rosenberg. The lovely and talented Karen Kern sang and provided a wonderful selection of guitar and keyboard melodies. She invited all to sing along if they wished. Linda handed out the lyrics to a song parody that we sang as the many ladies in hats paraded around the auditorium. The winners of the Creative Hat Contest were Sara Steiner, Julie Tennenbaum, Susan Brown, and Pat Rosen.
On April 23rd, volunteers helped assemble soup packets for the Harvey Kornblum Food Pantry. The soup packets included
four varieties of beans and various spices with an attached recipe.
On May 7th at 7:00 pm, Phyllis Hyken will present a fascinating program and interpretation on the opera Madame Butterfl y. Madame Butterfl y, which will be playing at the Loretto-Hilton Center beginning May 26th, is the story of a Japanese geisha and an American soldier. Their attraction is immediate, but their love story can’t last. When their union results in a child, the geisha is forced to do whatever it takes to protect her son’s future. Set to breathtaking music, this timeless opera pays powerful, wrenching tribute to a mother’s love.
If you would like to be part of the KR Women’s Social Group birthday and/or anniversary list, please contact Cindy Payant [email protected] for more information.
Adam and Alison Lewkowitz, and their children Jonah and Mina.
Aaron and Molly Schwartz and their children Ethan, Jonah and Gavin.
Joshua and Alexis Porter, and their son Easton.
We welcome them to our congregation and look forward to meeting them.
As a committee our goal is to increase opportunities for our members to come together, not just for services but also for fun and friendship times. We are looking to add activities for
the late spring and summer when typically things quiet down. Though we will also be working around the building changes, it is our plan to keep everyone connected. Our knitting group will be starting soon. And we will notify you when we schedule our Paint with A Twist night.
We are going to invite our members to a ‘Friday- night –dinner- with –Friends’ in May for those whose birthdays fall (more or less) between 2 signifi cant dates in Israel’s history – 1948 and 1967. We are using this as a way of restarting Chavurot groups at Kol Rinah. These are small groups of folks,
typically in close age range, who plan their own activities for good times and social support. A group could contain singles, young marrieds, and families with toddlers, families with school age children, empty nesters, etc. It helps to build bonds within our Kol Rinah community. If this idea interests you, please contact one of us from the membership committee and we will guide you to building a Chavurah group. The Hebrew name comes from the word Chaver which means friend.
Keep an eye out for upcoming dates for these and other programs.
April 2, 2017, is the day we honored Don Pearline as Men’s Club Man of the Year and Pardes Lyons-Warren as the Men’s Club Youth of the Year.
Don is a past president of the Brith Sholom Kneseth Israel (BSKI) Men’s Club. When BSKI merged with Shaare Zedek to become Kol Rinah, Don and Bob Olshan worked together to merge the two Men’s Clubs to become a strong Men’s Club for Kol Rinah. Don has remained active in the leadership and activities of the Men’s Club for more than 25 years. He is currently serving as treasurer of Kol Rinah Men’s Club.
Pardes is on the board of KRSTL (pronounced crystal), Kol Rinah’s USY chapter. This is her third year and her second year on the board. Last year she was the Social Action and Tikkun Olam Vice President. This year Pardes is the Membership Kadima co-Vice President.
In addition, B’nai Amoona Men’s Club and Kol Rinah Men’s Club were each presented a check for $1,000 from the Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs (FJMC) as a grant to assist in making our respective congregations’ websites more welcoming.
What’s Ahead?
Sunday, May 7 - Dad & Me Crafts: Dads and children make Mother’s Day
gifts following Sunday School. A Dairy Lunch will be served.
Sunday, May 14 - Lag B’Omer Mother’s Day Treat — Annual Bonfi re, Israeli Food, Music & Special Treats for Mom.
Sunday, June 25 - Second annual Kol Rinah / B’nai Amoona bike ride.
A Side Note
The Men’s Club is always working toward “doing Jewish.” The weekday morning services are struggling to make minyans (10 Jewish adults). That’s why I am asking you to consider attending at least one morning minyan each week. Pick your day — you’ll enjoy the friendship and satisfaction of fulfi lling a mitzvah.
May / June 2017 • Iyar / Sivan / Tammuz 5777www.facebook.com/KolRinahSTL 13
The terms “Jew” or “Judaism” are really modern terms. Our biblical ancestors were Israelites or Hebrews. The origin of the later term Jew is from the Hebrew Yehudi (יהודי), being the people of Yehudah (יהודה), where Yehudah is translated by the English translators of the Bible as Judah.
The defi nition of “who is a Jew” has evolved. The Torah’s defi nition was clearly different from Ezra’s and the Talmud’s as well as that of today’s Reform movement. Throughout the Torah, the father’s genes were critical. The examples are numerous. For brevity I will use the example of Isaac and Rebecca. Isaac had the genes of Abraham and Sarah. Rebecca shared a gene pool with Laban, an idol worshipper and an evil man.
Although Rebecca was acceptable to Abraham, and exhibited behavior that may have been responsible for saving Abraham’s dream, it was Isaac who was considered the bridge between Abraham and Jacob.
Although throughout the Torah there were concerns about marrying out of the Judaism, it was primarily a fear of idolatry, not a fear of non-Jews. It was not until the time of Ezra that concern against non-Jews was turned into law. Without precedent, Ezra created a law declaring marriage to non-Jewish women not legal and forcing such men to leave their women and children. It is the belief of historians that this was the nidus from which the requirement to be Jewish passed through the mother. This requirement was reinforced in the Talmud.
History describes the roles of patrilineal and matrilineal inheritance. What really happened? We now have the genetic tools to determine total, patrilineal and matrilineal inheritance.
We have defi ned the past. At the present time, Orthodox and Conservative demand only the mother be Jewish for a child to be Jewish. Reform requires the mother or father to be Jewish. All recognize that behavior is suffi cient via conversion. It is the purpose of this presentation to review the written history and current genetic information of the Jews to help us consider our future.
The presentation will take place at Kol Rinah. More information will follow.
Who is a Jew? Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow
www.KolRinahSTL.org The VOICE 14
Everyone Has A Story Sima Needleman
“Randi” is not a nickname and isn’t an abbreviated form of something else. Randi Hope Mozenter was named after her maternal great grandfather, Raphael, who lived in Palestine and supposedly designed the lights on the bridge in Jaffa.
Randi was born in Philadelphia and raised in southern New Jersey in the rural community of Vineland, about 40 miles from Philadelphia. As there were no highways going anywhere near Vineland, getting to “the city” was a major undertaking for the family.
Vineland had a big immigrant population including many Holocaust survivors and was known for being “the egg basket of America”. There were vegetable and egg stands on many corners and poultry business was a mainstay as were the Progresso factory, Welch’s grape juice and Wheaton Glass.
Vineland had two thriving Conservative synagogues, no Reform ones and a number of small Eastern European-style Orthodox shuls. The high school, the main Landis Avenue shopping and the synagogues in Vineland were the centers of life for the Jewish people.
Both of Randi’s parents, Stanley and Edith Mozenter, were also born in Philadelphia. Her father, Stan,was the oldest of three children. He believed that “the most important things in life are family and G-d.” Randi stated
The Story of Randi Mozenter & Larry Friedman
that her father gave his Bar Mitzvah speech in Yiddish and that he prayed every night before he went to sleep. It was always the same prayer – one that he composed, himself.
As a young man, her father, who was tall, athletic and movie star good looking, worked in a Philadelphia haberdashery (a clothing store for men and boys). Shortly after Randi was born, Stan opened his own men’s clothing store in South Jersey where Randi’s mother’s family lived. Stan was a good salesman and a charming man with a great sense of humor. Once a customer admired her father’s shirt and wanted to get one like it. Because her father didn’t have any more like it in stock, he took off the shirt he was wearing and gave it to the customer, who became an even better customer after that! In addition, her father “believed that women could do the same things that men could do; and, that’s the way he raised his children!” Stan did very well in the clothing business and was able to “put his younger siblings, as well as his children, through school”.
Not only was her father a good businessman, he was also a weight-lifter, sparred with boxers, and loved following boxing and all the Philadelphia sports teams. His motto was “you are what you eat” and he understood the importance of healthy
living and “mind over matter” from a young age. Stan sold his business in 1979 and moved the family to Arizona- - all the family except Randi who was then living in St. Louis.
Randi’s Mom Edith, now known as Edie, was and still is, “the perfect Mom.” She was always a fantastic cook and baker and found nothing stressful about cooking for a huge group on virtually no notice. She still bakes masterpieces for all her girlfriends in the Sun City West neighborhood in which they all live. Randi described her Mom as the “Jewish June Cleaver”. During Randi’s childhood, friends loved to hang out at her home, and would stop over just to hang with Edie even when Randi wasn’t home.
Edie worked for the famous architect Louis Kahn until pregnant with Randi. Edie’s greatest desire was to be a full time homemaker and raise a family, and no one was better at it. She was involved in synagogue life and Hadassah and spent hours each day driving the kids to and from school, ballet, Hebrew School three times weekly, baseball, school activities, etc. as the town was sprawling and there was no public transportation.
Continued on page 16
May / June 2017 • Iyar / Sivan / Tammuz 5777www.facebook.com/KolRinahSTL 15
Edie was very close to her parents, younger brother and grandparents who lived until Randi was in college. She instilled a strong sense of family, generosity and history in her children and she and Randi still love working on the lengthy family history together.
Randi is the older of Stanley and Edith’s two children. Her brother Richard (better known as Rick) is 3½ years younger than she. When Rick was almost 45 years old, he married, for the fi rst time, a 37 year-old woman, Tamitha (Tammy) who had also never married. They have two daughters, Mia, nearly 10 and Madison, nearly 8. Rick is a CPA and lives with his family in the Los Angeles area where he is a founding partner in a business management fi rm specializing in the entertainment industry.
After graduating from Vineland High School, Randi attended Brandeis University then transferred to Washington University in St. Louis for a new Literature-History program. She studied with our own Henry Berger, Ph.D., a member of Kol Rinah.
Randi fi rst completed her Bachelor’s degree with double majors in Literature – History and Psychology. She continued in Graduate School at Washington University, earning a Master’s Degree and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology.
Upon returning to St. Louis following a required internship year, Randi met Joel Wexelman, who was 4 years her senior, on a blind date arranged by a friend of Randi’s who met Joel in a wedding of a couple the friend had
introduced. According to Randi, Joel was “a very smart, sweet, charming, generous person who was well-liked.” He spent his entire professional career as an architect for Sverdrup and Parcel which eventually became part of Jacobs Engineering. They were married in August 1987 and had two children, Zachary, who is now 28 years old and is a musician in Los Angeles. Zachary has a band called Space Cadets. He sings, writes music and plays lead guitar. He has a Bachelors Degree in the Communications School of Boston University. Their daughter, Addy, 24, recently moved from Scottsdale, AZ to Columbus, Ohio and works for Highlights Magazine in digital marketing. She earned a Bachelor of Science in the Honors Business School of Arizona State University and previously worked in sales at Yelp, Inc.
Randi worked for Jewish Hospital eventually directing the Behavioral Medicine Department at Barnes Hospital before going into private practice. She is on the clinical medical staff of Washington University and Barnes Jewish Hospital.
Randi and Joel had 25 good years together before, sadly, Joel was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer. He died on December 15, 2009. His funeral service was offi ciated by both Rabbi Mark Fasman and Rabbi Mordecai Miller with hundreds of people in attendance.
In time, Randi met and got to know Larry Friedman. They had a lot in common when they met including three children at Boston University and dozens of mutual friends.
Larry, who is two years older than Randi, was born in St. Louis to Daniel and Estelle (Ruback) Friedman. He has an older brother, Howard, a younger brother, Steve, and a sister, Beth Friedman Rubin. (Incidentally, Beth and her husband, Donn Rubin, are also members of Kol Rinah.) Steve lives in St. Louis and is a former President of Central Reform Congregation. Howard lives in Arlington, Texas. Larry’s father was a World War II veteran and a banker who worked for State Bank of Wellston and later for banks at Northwest Plaza, the Delmar Loop, and Westport Plaza. Larry’s mother was a gifted singer who performed in many musicals and other programs over the years, including at Shaare Zedek and BSKI. She also worked in the cafeteria at Parkway Central Junior High School.
Larry attended schools in the Parkway District: Weber School, Parkway North Junior High, and Parkway North Senior High. He graduated from Columbia College in New York with a degree in Comparative Literature. He was an intern for the Center for Defense Information in Washington, D.C., working on arms control and military policy issues. Larry then studied law and public policy in a joint program at Princeton and Columbia; he graduated with a law degree from Columbia and an MPA degree from Princeton. .
After graduation, Larry served as a law clerk for a federal appeals court judge, Irving Kaufman, on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in New York. After that year, Larry worked for the Justice Department in Washington as counsel
Everyone Has A Story Continued from page 15
Continued on page 17
www.KolRinahSTL.org The VOICE 16
to the President’s Commission on Organized Crime.
In March of 1986, Larry joined Thompson Coburn, a law fi rm in St. Louis; he has been with the fi rm for the past 31 years. His specialty is litigation, and his cases are primarily related to civil, commercial, shareholder, or business disputes. Larry stated that he really enjoys his work because he learns a lot, meets interesting people and often feels rewarded, especially when the jury’s verdict is in favor of his client or when there’s a favorable settlement.
Larry has two children from his fi rst marriage: Hannah, who will be 29 in June, and who is a public elementary school teacher in Austin, Texas, and Josh, a musician based in Boston. Both earned degrees at Boston University and Hannah earned a Master’s Degree in Education with a reading specialist concentration from Texas State University. Josh is a fabulously talented pianist and keyboardist according to Randi, and has a band, That One Eyed Kid, referring to a successful cancer surgery when he was 14 years old.
Larry and Randi fi rst met in late 2010 after seeing each- other’s profi les on JDate. They were married July 13, 2014.
Larry has run 11 marathons—in New York, St. Louis, Chicago, Miami and London. He didn’t run his fi rst marathon until he was 47 years old, after a friend challenged him at their 25th college reunion. Larry broke two legs in a fall down Randi’s steps the day after they
became engaged in 2013, but lately has started running again and hasn’t ruled out another marathon. He also enjoys traveling, reading and going to the theater, movies, and baseball games. Randi says he is a whiz at Trivia, to which Burton Boxerman can attest.
Larry is very active in Jewish life, serving as President of Bais Abraham for nine years and a member of the board for 25 years. He also serves on the Board of the Jewish Community Relations Council, and has served on the Boards of the Eighth Circuit Bar Association, and Epstein Hebrew Academy. He is a generous and loyal friend and family man.
Randi serves as the immediate past president of the Board of Directors of Kids In The Middle, is on the Boards of the Jewish Student Union, Project Backpack and the Washington University Neighbors’ Association. She was honored to be a Millstone fellow. After serving as VP of Membership
and Personnel, Randi was elected President of Kol Rinah this year and is pleased and grateful to have Sherri Sadon as the Chair of the Kol Rinah Board. They have become good friends who complement each other’s styles of leadership and strongly believe in the importance of the Jewish community and Kol Rinah as a center for Jewish life events and support throughout the life cycle. Randi believes that the Kol Rinah Board is composed of amazing, passionate and dedicated people and she is honored to serve with them. She says that she continues to make great friends within the congregation and strengthen ties with old friends of every age, working on Kol Rinah projects. She loves meeting new members and is excited about new adventures at Kol Rinah.
Randi Mozenter and her husband, Larry Friedman are two very capable and accomplished people who have contributed a great deal to our synagogue and to the St. Louis Community.
Everyone Has A Story Continued from page 16
May / June 2017 • Iyar / Sivan / Tammuz 5777www.facebook.com/KolRinahSTL 17
Calendar continued on page 19
1Mon
Omer Day 20Yom HaZikaron7am Shacharit / 6pm Mincha/Ma’ariv9:30am ECC Music Class - Sara
Myers Room 106
2Tue
Omer Day 21Yom HaAtzmaut6:45am Shacharit / 6pm Mincha/
Ma’ariv8am “Moral and Ethical Issues” -
Sara Myers Room 1064:30pm ECC Yom Haatzmaut Program
3Wed
Omer day 227am Shacharit / 6pm Mincha/Ma’ariv8:45am Kindermusik - Downstairs
Classroom 1019:30am Movement Class - Sara
Myers Room 1064:15pm KRRS Hebrew School
4Thu
Omer Day 237am Shacharit / 6pm Mincha/Ma’ariv9am Study Pesach with Rabbi
Shulamit Cenker - Lib
5Fri
Omer Day 247am Shacharit9am ECC Yoga - Sara Myers Rm 1066pm Kabbalat Shabbat/Ma’ariv7:39pm Candle lighting
6Sat
Omer Day 25Parashat Acharei-Kedoshim9am Shabbat Service10am Shabbat Room - Sara Myers
